Shauna Macdonald as Amy and Jess Hardwick as Emma are good foils for one another but it’s Amy who is the sparkier character, and Macdonald delivers an edgy, extroverted performance that draws focus in a way that leaves the relationship out of kilter. This isn’t the fault of either actress, who express both their defiant exteriors and patent fragility with a knowingness that is often moving. But jokes and speeches alike are weighted towards Amy. Her commentary on the often-clichéd events of their teenage lives and the trajectory of their current ones has a hint of stand-up about it. Indeed, in her Act 2 riff on orange juice, there’s rather more than just a hint. Even the appearance of hipster Lance (Erik Olsson), the DJ of the girls’ youth who has somehow never moved on, does little to lift the sisters out of their increasingly heavy mood of nostalgia and regret.
Disappointingly, Two Sisters remains so wedded to reflection about the past that it never moves very far in the present. Like Emma’s elusive novel, the play is all about the feelings; it never nails the action – or exhibits much desire to do so.
This is a problem for that chorus of teenagers. As occasional proclaimers of the audience’s pre-show memories, they will grow in confidence as the run goes on, but for the most part they are made to loiter around the caravan site, serving as little more than additional props (or prop movers). When individuals do get a chance to break free with their own dialogue or a bit of action, the stage starts to come alive, but for too much of the time they hang around and watch. It’s all a bit awkward. Even during the crucial Act 2 disco, the mute button is pressed, both metaphorically and actually. It’s as if Shakespeare had decided to rob his fairies and rude mechanicals of all their jokes and mischief. That was never going to be a good idea and here it does the youngsters a disservice.